I read an interesting article today about the high prices that some attorneys are paying to advertise on Google. The paid ads, sometimes called "sponsored listings," appear at the top or the top right side of the Google search engine search results.

There are two types of search results on Google: (1) "organic" listings which rank sites based on the value of their content and popularity of the site, and (2) paid listings which list results based on how much the lawyers pay for certain words or phrases.

The article, "Lawyers Outspend Obama On The Web," discusses a study conducted by the Institute for Legal Reform for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The study found that some lawyers are spending as much as $79 for a single "click-through" ad word. When the sponsored ad is "clicked-on," the lawyer is charged the amount bid on for the word or phrase.

Some 25 lawyers across the country are spending over $100,000 for Google click-through ads. The report states that one law firm in Houston is paying $16,600,000 for Google ads.

The report also identifies one of our main competitors in Miami as most closely associated with the phrase "cruise ship assault" both via paid ads and search engine optimization. Some other Miami attorneys are paying to advertise phrases on Google like "cruise rape," "cruise sexual assault" and so forth.

There is nothing wrong with Google ads, although we do not pay for any advertisements like this or any advertisements at all for that matter. Our blog is strictly "organic" in nature, meaning that it is ranked solely on the relevancy and current status of the content, the number of sites which link to it and so forth. Based on the Alexa/AVVO ranking system, Cruise Law News is a top ten most popular law blog in the U.S. In the first two months this year, Cruise Law News had 289,530 visits and the visitors read 862,721 pages.

My only criticism about the concept of Google ads is that there are law firms which I have never heard of who probably have handled only a few cruise line cases at best. Nonetheless, they are advertising themselves on Google as "cruise lawyers." I call these lawyers "Google lawyers."

I saw this happening after the Costa Concordia cruise ship crash. All types of lawyers across the U.S. began billing themselves as "cruise ship accident lawyers" on paid Google ads. An internet marketing company has an interesting article about what it calls ambulance chasing marketing.

If you want to see where a law firm's website or blog is ranked based on objective criteria, download the Alexa toolbar here. It's easy to install and will take less than 30 seconds.

If you are looking for a lawyer to handle a cruise ship case, don't be fooled by the top listings on the click-through Google ads. Many of these lawyers are not even licensed to practice in Florida where most cases have to be filed. Be certain to inquire into how many cases they have actually handled and the success of those cases. Be sure to ask to speak to former clients for their opinion on how their cruise line cases turned out.

Over 5 million cruise ship passengers cruise out of the port of Miami each year. Many sail on cruise ships like the Carnival Destiny, pictured below as its leaves Miami Beach and heads south to the Caribbean.

The majority of our articles here at Cruise Law News address current issues which occur all too often on cruise ships - like outbreaks of norovirus, shipboard sexual assaults, or passenger and crew members overboards.

But this article addresses the most common incident on a cruise ship - when a passenger slips and falls on a deck on the ship. These incidents occur literally on every single cruise. Fractured hips, broken kneecaps, displaced ankle-fractures requiring surgery . . and so forth. The accidents occur by the buffets, by the pools, in the dining rooms, on the exterior decks - everywhere.

Here are few things to keep in mind if you are a passenger injured during a cruise:

If possible, don't let the cruise line dump you off in a port in Mexico or a Caribbean port. Its often better to tough it out a day or two and get back to a U.S. port or fly back to the U.S. as soon as reasonably possible. The surgical skills of the doctors in Mexico or the Caribbean islands are about 30 years behind U.S. standards. Hopefully, you have trip insurance and your air ambulance back to the U.S. is covered - otherwise you are looking at $30,000 out of your pocket to fly back to the States.

Obtain the names and contact information of witnesses who can verify the conditions surrounding your accident. The cruise line will never provide you with the accident report or statements of witnesses. Never. The cruise line's lawyers will blame you. It does not matter that you sailed with Royal Caribbean 25 times and are a Diamond Club member. Once you are a liability to the cruise lines, you have not seen a worse enemy. Protect yourself.

Read the terms of your passenger ticket. There is some important information in there. Like, you have to notify the cruise line of your intention to seek compensation for your medical bills, lost wages, and disability within six months of your accident. And if you need to file a claim, there is only a one (1) year limitations period to file the claim. This is a much shorter limitations period - most states have a statute of limitations of up to four (4) years. If you snooze, you lose!

Be ready to travel to Miami for your lawsuit. All of the cruise lines have "forum selection" clauses, whereby the cruise lines require to travel to a particular location to file your claim. The cruise line is betting that you will not read the terms of the ticket and will file suit in the wrong courthouse - hopefully more than one year after your accident!. The following cruise lines require that you file suit in Florida (Miami, Fort Lauderdale, or Cape Canaveral):

The hiring of a lawyer is an important decision that should not be based solely on advertisements. Before you make this important decision, ask us to send you written information about our qualifications and experience.